SITUATION

We are currently processing the feedback from the Release Candidate for the upcoming 1.68 Update (which includes the 64-bit executables). If these final tests come back positive, we intend to release the update to Main-Branch within the next few weeks. In addition, our development team is working on the various DLC listed on our 2016-17 Roadmap, which will bring new assets, playable content, and engine features and other platform improvements.

INTELLIGENCE

We've reached the submission deadline for the #Armachinima Awards. Now it is time for you to help us select the 10 nominees! There are more than 100 videos to watch, and everyone has 3 votes in total to distribute. So grab a drink (or two) and head over to the #Armachinima web page. You can vote, and change your vote, up until the deadline on February 27th, 09:00 CET (GMT+1). Afterwards, the Arma 3 development team will select 3 winners from the nominees. Have fun everyone!

Mudspike.com, a web portal specialized in writing articles on aviation, published an elaborate piece on drones in Arma 3. Taking a detailed look at Arma 3's UAVs, the author describes the handling, armament, and gameplay of these unmanned vehicles. It is certainly an interesting article to read if you are interested in an outsider's perspective on some of the flying mechanics.

OPERATIONS

Some of the new engine features that are being developed in anticipation of the upcoming Jets DLC are starting to surface on Dev-Branch. One of these is Dynamic Loadouts, which allows for in-game customization of a vehicle's armament, which changes the way that airplanes operate in different situations. The ability to select the loadout for each pylon was requested by our community for a long time, and we're glad to finally be able to implement this alongside Jets' new premium assets. You can find the Work-In-Progress documentation on the Community Wiki, and please let us know your feedback on the forums.

Another new platform feature coming alongside the Jets DLC is Datalink, which was also recently added to Dev-Branch. Designer Ondřej Kuel explains what it is: "Datalink is a new feature that expands the Sensor Overhaul. It allows vehicle operators to automatically transmit and/or receive information about targets to/from other vehicles of the same side." Additionally, new config parameters (receiveRemoteTargets, reportRemoteTargets, reportOwnPosition) will help community content creators to include this new feature in their assets. Head over to the forums to chat with our devs and provide your feedback. It's much appreciated!

That said, not all of the recent additions are directly associated with the Jets DLC. Our developers are working tirelessly on improving the game overall. For example, a new "hasUnderbarrel" weapon animation source has landed to Dev-Branch recently and offers more possibilities for modders. Also, the well-known Dammaged Event Handler was extended with additional arguments (documented on the Community Wiki). Aside from that, the enableEnvironment script command was optimized to work more reliably. Last but not least, Senior Programmer Jakub Horyna fixed a longstanding issue with flags, which now can be used in CTF scenarios in the same way as in the early days of Arma.

LOGISTICS

The Arma 3 Feedback Tracker now allows for logging in via existing accounts like Facebook or Google Account. We hope this will help decrease the barrier of entry for registering and submitting issues. The goal being of course to make Arma 3 even more splendid!